“Good Morning America” gave over part of its Thursday, September 17, 2026, broadcast to the memory of Judd Parson, an editor who had spent nearly 25 years with the ABC morning program.
Side by side on the studio couch, the anchors delivered the tribute as a group: George Stephanopoulos, Michael Strahan, Rebecca Jarvis, Lara Spencer, Sam Champion and Ginger Zee.
“He had a warm smile, easy sense of humor, and he loved to help people,” Stephanopoulos said.
Strahan focused instead on the colleagues Parson had shaped. “Judd leaves a lasting legacy with the countless GMA producers and editors he mentored over the years,” he said.
Those decades were spent on the overnight shift, the stretch of hours when a morning show is quietly put together before the country wakes up. Parson cut thousands of stories and trained a long line of producers and editors who went on to run segments of their own. Colleagues described him as beloved.
The broadcast did not give his age, and no cause of death has been reported. He is survived by three children and five grandchildren.
For the program, it is the second such loss within a matter of weeks. Francisco Antonio “Fran” Saldaña, a GMA engineer who died on August 29 at 70, was honored in a tribute that closed the September 3 broadcast.
“Before we go today, we want to celebrate Francisco Saldaña, a beloved member of the GMA family,” Rebecca Jarvis said as photographs of him appeared on screen, adding that “Fran had an extraordinary career.” That career started in the Dominican Republic, where Saldaña covered the Nicaraguan revolution before he moved to the United States.
“He did everything from launching cable systems to teaching college before coming to ABC and becoming a treasured member of the GMA engineering team,” anchor Whit Johnson said. “We’ll remember him for his curiosity, love of travel and gardening, and his humor. He will be missed.”
Gio Benitez had the last word that morning: “We will miss him.”
